Capcom’s fighting output on the iPhone has certainly been impressive, but it really reached the pinnacle with Street Fighter IV Volt, which got the balance and the controls perfected and no other fighter has seen such a sustained interest since.

Now Capcom have ported their newest console brawler to Apple’s devices and it’s a match made in heaven. Street Fighter characters trade punches and kicks with their Tekken counterparts, even though both games featured very different styles and strategies.

What Capcom have done is to use the different approaches to create a more strategic fighter and it certainly opens up the arena for some interesting matches. The roster isn’t quite as impressive as the console game, though, and only 5 characters from each franchise have made it over to the iOS release.

With some notable exceptions there’s still a strong line-up of fighters on offer and it’s good to see that Capcom have thought about the balance on each side, matching heavy-weights like Hugo and King and faster, more fluid fighters like Ryu and Hwoarang to give both sides an even chance.

The earlier Street Fighter games were also noted for their control systems, which worked well on a device with no physical controls. While the mis-step that was Marvel vs Capcom 3 provided an overlaid system that obscured a lot of the action, Street Fighter vs Tekken goes back to a slightly raised stage for the fighters, alleviating the problem of a misplaced thumb over your fighter. It also boasts a great 4 button combination that manages to squeeze in an impressive array of actions in such a small space, not least the ability to both Tag and use tag team moves.

Online is also as impressive as it was in Volt and I can see this being a go-to game for many fight fans around the world. The addition of the gems system from the console game makes for an extra incentive to win matches, though the energy bar system that limits your online play time unless you pay real money is a something I’m not happy with at all in a paid app.

In App Purchases aside, Street Fighter x Tekken is a fantastic rethinking of its big console brother and fans of previous Capcom games should have no concerns with picking this one up.